Category: Unschooling
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Thoughts on National Teacher Day
Careful the things you say/Children will listen/Careful the things you do/Children will see and learn – Stephen Sondheim Today is National Teacher Day. It’s been a long time since I went to public school, but I remember all of my teachers. If I had to pick one to honor, it would be Miss Woodruff. I…
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Thoughts on Harvard & homeschooling
Last weekend I attended events at Visitas, a chock-full weekend for students admitted to Harvard College and their families. We are local to Harvard, and quite familiar with the neighborhood and the campus through community events, arts events, and the Extension School. I’ve been in the audience and on the stage (thank you, Revels) of…
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Life without television
Did you know that Screen-Free Week is coming right up? It’s May 4-10. During that time, people are encouraged to “rediscover life beyond the screen.” These days, screens are everywhere, but once upon a time there was just the television. My husband and I decided to live without one many years ago. The old clunker we had…
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Inspired by John Holt
Last week I attended a homeschooling book group discussion about The Legacy of John Holt. We were fortunate to have Pat Farenga in attendance. He shared stories about John Holt the person — his ideas, his journey, his quirks, and his commitment to his beliefs. The meeting inspired me to read Holt titles I haven’t…
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Ditch the standards, embrace the love
A few years ago Psychology Today published an article about the Presidential Scholars program, which recognizes high school students who excel academically and artistically. The story focused on a study in which award recipients from the 1960’s offered advice for parents and educators. Their suggestions included the following: “I would encourage parents and teachers to treat…
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The future of education is here
Someone sent me an article by Marina Gorbis called The Future of Education Eliminates the Classroom, Because the World Is Your Class. Nice to know our family is living in the future – this idea of the world as your classroom has been a foundational principle for many homeschoolers for a long time. Beyond that,…
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Spock, Kirk, and the adolescent brain
A friend sent me an NPR piece about the adolescent brain’s constant struggle between the impulsiveness of the limbic system (think Captain Kirk), and the reason of the prefrontal cortex (that’s Mr. Spock). We all know about the wild side of teenagers, but apparently, it’s worse than we thought. It all starts around age 12, and…
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Flex time
Maybe you’ve read about grit, which education researcher Angela Lee Duckworth defines as “the tendency to sustain interest in and effort toward very long-term goals.” Duckworth delivered a very popular TED talk revealing grit as the key to success in life. On the surface, it sounds good, but one of my favorite contrarians, Alfie Kohn, points…
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Kids and structure
In these times when structured programs and expert instruction are available for everything, people can come to believe that allowing kids an open schedule with plenty of free play will keep them from future success. How, they may ask, will kids be able to structure their lives if they just run around and play all the…
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Every day is play day
Did you know that today is Global School Play Day? It’s a good idea, I suppose. I mean, I understand why it was created. But it still strikes me as absurd. Register now to play! Take pictures so the world can see kids playing! Don’t forget the hashtag! There’s even an official #GSPD song with a rap…
A Potluck Life 